Work box



United States Patent Ctlice Z ,7 17,7 12 Patented Sept. 13, 1955 WORK BOX Albert L. Benelisha, Altadena, Calif.

' Application July 2, 1953, Serial No. 365,583-

6 Claims. (Cl. 2175) This invention relates to typists accessories and in particular to a typists Work box and copy holder.

An object of this invention is to provide a work box and copy holder which may be placed in convenient reach and view of the typist and which is capable of holding a supply of materials being used by thevtypist.

A related object is to enable the box to be set on the hinged door of a typists desk or alternatively on a table.

A feature of this invention-resides in an open box having a forward portion the bottom of which may rest on a desk and a rear portion having a back board sloping away from the typist intersecting the rear wall of the forward portion above its bottom.

An optional feature of the invention resides in a rear leg which depends downward from the rear portion, being spaced from the forward portion. If desired, slots may be formed in the rear portion in which the leg is slidable so it may be positioned various distances from the forward portion. An additional optional feature resides in an angular adapter by which the work box may beheld near a typewriter without being supported by adesk table underneath it.

An additional further optional feature is a unique copy holder having oppositely directed tabs on one end so that it may be slidably attached to either the front or back of the box thereby providing a sloping or vertical copy board as desired.

These and other features of my invention will be completely understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings of which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the work box according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1 and showing in addition an angular attachment bracket;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a copy holder according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 is an end view taken at line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the angular attachment bracket, and

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the device showing it in one useful position hooked over a desk door.

A work box constructed according to the instant invention is shown in the drawings. As best shown in Fig. 2, a hollow forward portion 10 has a flat bottom surface 11 which may be rested on a table if desired. A shallower rear portion 12 extends away from the typist and has a back board 13 for its bottom which slopes upward and away from a level above the bottom of the rear wall 14 of the forward portion. Sidewalls 14a and front wall 14b are substantially perpendicular.

A horizontal attachment member 15 having three longitudinal slots 16 which extend away from the forward portion is placed beneath the back board and forms a wedge-shaped cavity 16a beneath. A flat leg 17 has a threaded stud 18 in its top which passes through one of the slots. A wing nut 19 is threaded to the stud and when tightened down holds the leg and studin an adjusted position at a selected distance from the rear wall ofthe forward portion. The stud may be inserted into any slot, so that the leg can depend downward at several places to avoid desk parts which may interfere with it.

The face of the wedge shaped cavity below the back board is fitted with a fiat plate 20 having spring blades 21 bearing against the sidewalls of the box to hold the plate against the back of the device so as to cover the wedge shaped cavity below the back board and above the attachment member.

A finger hole 22 is provided so the plate may be removed in order to loosen or' tighten the wing nut.

Holes 23 are drilled through the bottom 11 of the forward portion. A plate 24 is bent in zig-zag shape to provide two fiat portions 24a and 24b joined by a perpendicular flat portion 24c between them, portions 24a and 24b being directed in opposite directions from portion 240,

so that two oppositely directed right angles are formed.

This will form an attachment bracket which may be affi'xed to the bottom of the forward portion if desired. Flat portion 24a has attachment holes 24d aligning with holes 23. The bracket extends as a flat plate substantially horizontally outward from the front portion in a direction away from the rear portion. This attachment bracket is an optional feature which may be used to hold the box near the typewriter by resting the typewriter on the bracket. Because of the 'zig-zag shape, the bottom of the box rests slightly lower than the bottom ot' the typewriter footings. If desired, however, the position of the bracket may be reversed to raise the box above the typewriter feet by placing part 24b lower than part 24a, This adapter is held to the work box by nut and bolt assembly 25. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 2;

Figs; 5 arid 6 show a copy holder which may be used with the work box if desired. A flat plate 26, which may be made of any desired stilf material, has a loose clip 27 at one end which may or may not be aflixed to the holder as desired. The other end has two slits 28 which create three tabs, the middle one being left flat as a continuation of the sheet, and the other two being bent to form two oppositely directed right angles so as to form prongs or legs 29. Thus a longitudinal space between the three oppositely directed spaced prongs exists, of a thickness which just admits the back board or the front wall of the box. Figs. 1 and 2 show the copyholder affixed to the box.

The work box and copy holder just described may be made of wood, metal, fibre, or any other desired material. Its initial adjustment depends on the place and manner in which it is to be used. If the box is simply to be stood on a desk top the leg 17 is preferably moved backward to the rear of a slot so as to provide the greatest rear support and stability for the device.

If it is to be used behind a typewriter where there is rarely more than a narrow ledge, the leg and forward portion straddle the hinged door 30 commonly found in such typewriter desks, the leg being adjusted so as to fit snugly against the opposite side of the door, thus clamping the work box to that door. The work box may thus be supported entirely by the desk door.

Where there is no such door on the desk, the angular adapter plate can be bolted to the bottom of the work box and be slid under the typewriter footings, the weight of the typewriter then holding the entire assembly in place.

The copy holder may then be afiixed vertically to the front wall of the box or at an angle to the rear of the back board, depending on the convenience or preference of the user. The copy can be held to the board by the clip. The use of this copy holder does not intrude upon the functions of the box as a storage bin, since the copy board fits upon the edges of the work box.

The device of the instant invention provides an inexpensive and convenient aid to the typist or stenographer. In use it is a storage box for commonly used forms and the like. Its sloping back board makes for easy visibility and permits it to be used as a nest for manifolded forms which may be fed directly into the typewriter. The use of such a work box has been found to reduce work motions. Since all the necessary material for a given job may be placed in the box, the motions of turning back and forth to the desk and opening and closing drawers are eliminated. The work box also improves office appearance since secretaries to avoid such waste motion often place enough material for a job on the desk top presenting a cluttered and messy sight.

This invention is a convenient and attractive means for such storage and thereby contributes to general orderliness of work. It has the further advantage of permitting a stenographer to move easily from one job to another, since the material for a given job may be placed in the easily carried box. When adjusted for any particular use, it may simply be lifted up and carried to another location without further adjustment of the parts.

I do not desire that my invention be limited to the specific embodiment shown, since persons skilled in the art may devise other forms still within the limitations of the claims.

I claim:

1. An open work box having a forward portion and a shallower rear portion, said forward portion comprising a bottom, a rear wall rising substantially vertically from said bottom, and side walls and a front wall, said rear portion comprising a sloping bottom which intersects with the top of the rear wall of the forward portion and slopes upward and away from said forward portion, a substantially horizontal attachment member fixed to the box beneath the sloping bottom of the rear portion above the level of the bottom of the front portion which has a longitudinal slot directed away from the forward portion, a leg slidably disposed in the slot and depending downward from the attachment member, and tightening means for holding the leg at a selected distance from the rear wall of the forward portion, whereby an adjustable spacing is provided between the depending leg and the rear wall of the forward portion for accommodating an upright desk member and whereby the leg member can be moved toward the desk member and rear wall of said forward portion so as to clamp the box to said desk member.

2. A work box according to claim 1 in which the rear portion is provided with side walls.

3. A work box according to claim 1 in which the tightening means comprises a stud at the upper end of the leg passing through the slot and a nut threaded to the stud on the opposite side of the attachment member from the leg whereby tightening of the nut clamps the leg in a fixed position with respect to the attachment member.

4. A work box according to claim 1 in which the attachment member is provided with a plurality of said slots, one of said legs being disposed in at least one of said slots.

5. A work box according to claim 1 in which there is provided a copy holder comprising a flat sheet of stiff material with slits forming tabs at one end thereof, at least some of the tabs being bent so as to accommodate the bottom of the rear portion of the box between them, whereby the copy holder can be affixed to the work box to form a continuation of the bottom of said rear portion.

6. A work box according to claim 1 in which there is provided an attachment bracket adapted to be aflixed to the bottom of the box comprising a sheet of stiflf material which extends horizontally outward from the bottom of the forward portion in a direction away from the rear portion, whereby the attachment bracket forms an extension for supporting said Work box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,256,377 Salles Feb. 12, 1918 1,288,560 Gordon Dec. 24, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,102 Great Britain Sept. 25, 1901 

